1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to providing secure data storage on drives and/or memory devices that are adapted for connection and removal from desktops, workstations, laptops, and other computing devices, and, more particularly, to software and removable drives (or memory devices) with such software that is adapted for managing encryption and file and directory processes.
2. Relevant Background
Recently, there has been an explosive increase in the use of small, removable drives or memory devices for transporting data from one computer to another, e.g., an employee can save their work files quickly on the removable drive, take the drive home, and then plug the removable drive into their home or laptop computer to access their work. A growing concern, however, is how to keep this portable data secure. For example, if the removable drive is lost, there is a need for preventing the data to be accessible.
In the mid-1990s, it was becoming clear that the serial and parallel ports on personal computers were outliving their usefulness, but there remained a need for high speed data transfer to portable storage media or devices. A new serial bus was designed to replace the old serial and parallel ports, and in 1996, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 1.0 was created. The new serial bus protocol supported two signaling rates: low speed (1.5 Mbps) and high speed (12 Mbps). Unfortunately, there was practically no operating system support for USB 1.0 and limited hardware available for use with the new USB 1.0 port. However, more recently, operating systems, such as Windows 98 and later versions provided by Microsoft Corporation, have been widely distributed and provide support for USB. As a result, increasing numbers of USB devices hit the market that are able to store large amounts of data, and USB 2.0 was created with speeds up to 480 Mbps.
USB devices are typically used as removable memory devices with their use simply requiring a user to plug the USB device into the USB port of a computer and within seconds a new drive or removable disk appears on the desktop. In the following discussion, the term “removable drives” is used to cover all removable USB devices, which have numerous labels such as USB keys, USB flash drives, pen drives, jump drives, thumb drives, key drives, memory sticks, mobile memories, removable USB disks, and other terms. These removable drives have become so popular in part because they do not need batteries, provide solid state data storage with long data retention, offer good data transfer speeds, and are durable and portable. Removable drives are one of the best ways to store and transport data as they hold more data than floppy disks and ZIP disks while not being susceptible to data loss risks associated with magnetic media. Removable drives are becoming less expensive with higher capacities. As a result, the market for USB-powered devices is growing exponentially as more businesses and consumers seek greater data portability and reliability.
However, the use of removable drives may be limited by security concerns. Specifically, many consumers are concerned about carrying large amounts of often sensitive or private information around in a small key or stick that while providing many advantages for data portability is also more susceptible to loss or theft. Many consumers are demanding that processes be provided for securing the data that is stored on removable drives such that the data stored on the drives cannot be accessed without their permission.
Existing attempts to provide security for removable drives has not been widely accepted or effective. Some have attempted to address the security issue by installing an encryption program on the removable drive and a corresponding encryption/security program on each computer or computing device in which the removable drive will be inserted on the USB port (e.g., for which the USB key will be interfaced). The program resident on the computer is typically required due to the high complexity of the utilized encryption program. This has not proven to be a satisfactory solution as it requires that an additional preliminary program be installed on each and every computer for which a user may wish to use their key or removable drive. The presence of additional data and/or the additional program on the user's computers leaves a telltale “footprint” on every hard drive, and this may compromise the security of these computers. As a result, these computers are more vulnerable to other users and hackers.
To support the further use of USB keys or “removable drives,” there remains a need for improved techniques for providing secure data storage. Preferably, such security methods would limit or eliminate any footprints that interface with the removable drives and would also be useful for existing and future USB ports and devices with minimal modifications. Also, such security methods should be relatively easy to use and not unnecessarily effect data access speeds.